Why People Partake In Dark Tourism
If you have heard of dark tourism recently, you know it is where people visit sites of death and tragedy. But why do people visit such spots? What about these places lures so many to take in their dark stories? Like you, I was curious about what was so compelling about these places, so I researched everything I could about them. If you are ready to learn about why people partake in dark tourism, keep reading as I share the top reasons!
1. Creates Awareness About Social Responsibilities
Arguably one of the most important aspects of dark tourism is how it helps instill a sense of responsibility in people. Every dark tourism site has some value, some story that visitors should take away from it. Whether that is about mass murder, genocides, or even nuclear meltdowns, these places teach us and future generations about our social responsibilities to ensure that events like Chernobyl and the Holocaust never happen again.
If we do not learn history, the good and the dark, we will be doomed to repeat it repeatedly. That is why it is so important each one of us takes the time to visit some of these sites, to grasp just how real the events were. It can be easy to think, “Well, since it happened in the past, it does not affect me,” but that is a bad mindset as it disconnects you from your social responsibilities.
2. Promotes Culture and Heritage
The second reason I could find for the reasoning behind dark tourism is how it promotes culture and heritage. Now, you may wonder how exactly that can be. After all, isn’t dark tourism just about serial killers and genocides and nuclear meltdowns? Well, not exactly. Dark tourism can mean everything from serial killer homes to voodoo rituals in South American countries. So if you wanted to learn about South American voodoo, you might visit a village known for it, which would be labeled as dark tourism.
Remember, dark tourism is not just about remembering the past to prevent it from being repeated. It is also a way to learn about other cultures and to help preserve them for future generations.
3. Tourism is Leaning Towards Stories
In the past, tourism was primarily a way to escape to an exotic place for a week or two, get a tan, and then return home with stories to regal your friends and family. However, in recent years, tourism has started to lean more towards visiting places with stories. People want to visit sites worldwide that will give them something to think about and make them feel things. Gone are the days when a pretty tourist spot is enough to bring people in.
4. Helps People Understand Geopolitics
Geopolitics can be a fascinating topic, but its effects on the world are often lost on the average person. By visiting dark tourist sites, people gain a better understanding of how geopolitics work. They learn the effects of wars, famines, and genocides on countries and the surrounding lands. No other form of tourism provides that level of knowledge, which is why so many people partake in dark tourism nowadays, even though it includes horrific crimes against humanity.
5. People Form an Intellectual Connection
When you visit a place like Chernobyl, it drives you to learn more about the site. What caused the event to happen? Who did it affect? How is it still affecting the surrounding areas? Dark tourism promotes intellectual connections with the places you visit and sparks that desire to learn more about an event or person. Due to dark tourism sites’ ability to spark interest in historical events, they can be an excellent option for class field trips, as long as the students are old enough.
6. Makes For Unconventional Conversations
The final reason why people partake in dark tourism is that it makes for unconventional conversations. People grow tired of hearing about Hawaii or a state park because such stories are no longer interesting. Instead, people want to hear about the weird and unique places, sites like Auschwitz or Jeffrey Dahmer’s childhood home. It also leads to people sharing their viewpoints about different topics and can be a great way to learn more about a person and perhaps even get the chance to help them learn more about the dark history of this world.
Conclusion
We hope you find this list of 6 reasons why people partake in dark tourism helpful. If you enjoyed this article, check out some of our other articles like “Top 5 Dark Tourism Sites in the United States” or “What to Bring as First Time Dark Tourist.” Leave a comment and share with us why you partake in dark tourism or what you find interesting about it. Until next time, stay curious!
Sources
https://planningtank.com/blog/reasons-people-pursue-dark-tourism#:~:text=Dark%20Tourism%20helps%20to%20form%20Intellect%20for%20a%20place&text=It%20also%20helps%20travellers%20to,affected%20by%20the%20grief%20event.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/travel/dark-tourism-explainer/